Fastening for telephone key bases



Feb. 19, 1924. 1 1,484,402 H. T. MARTIN v FASTENING FOR TELEPHONE KEY BASES Filed April 21 1921 I v I Fig. A

. O \fia y 0 Patented F eb. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES 71,484,402 PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD T. MARTIN, OF N YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ms'rnnme FOR rnnnrxonn KEY BASES.

Application filed April 21, 1921. Serial No. 463,302.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD T. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York, in the county of New ork, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Telephone Key Bases, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to telephone switchboards and more particularly to a means for fastening a key base within the key shelf.

A number of devices for this purpose are in use and generally employ a bolt which cooperates with some form of catch member to clamp the key base to anmember sup ported by the key shelf. It is necessary in manipulating these fastenings to have access to both the upper and lower sides of the shelf in order to remove or replace a key.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simple fastening of this type which allows the removal and refastening of a a key access to only one side of the shelf being necessary; The invention in its preferred form accomplishes this object by means of a pair of parallel bars supported by the shelf in the manner described in E. B. Craft Patent No. 1,050,520 of January 14:, 1913, a bolt passing through the key base between the bars, and a rectangular nut the corners of which engage the bars. when the bolt is turned in a ti htening direction, but disengages when tie bolt is turned in'the opposite direction. Projections on the nut co-' operate with the'barsto limit its rotation.

The invention will be -more' completely understood by reference to the drawings which show the preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 is a sectional view of a ke shelf with a key base fastened therein y means of the device of this invention. Fi re -2 is a view from bottom ,of the shelf showing the invention in its rubber facin 5 lies flush with the flat surface of the ey shelf. The bars 2 and 3 may be supported on the bod portion 1 in any suitable manner, the pre erred way being as shown and described in E. B. Crafts Patent Number 1,050,520, issued January 14, 1913.

A bolt 6 passes through a hole in the key base 4 and between the bars 2 and 3. The

slotted head 7 of the bolt 6 is exposed atthe upper face of the key base 4 so that the bolt can be tightened .with a screw driver from that side of the shelf. The'bolt 6 is provided with a nut 8 into which it threads.

The nut .8 is substantially rectangular its shorter side being such that the nut may pass easily between the bars 2 and 3. The other dimension however is long enou 11 so that when the nut is turned slightly its corners overlap the bars 2 and 3 and prevent the removal of the key base. The nut 8 is prevented from turning in either direction beyond certain limits by bent up portions 9 and 10. These bentup portions 9 and lOproject upwardl between the bars 2 and 3 and are sufficient y long so that they engage the bars even when the nut 8 is well down on the threaded portion of the bolt 6.

From theabove description the operation of the device is apparent. When the bolt 6 is turned in a direction to unscrew thehold the nut 8 in position to be removed with the key base as shown in Figure 3. hen the bolt is screwed up the reverse operation takes place and the bent up portions 9 and 10 hold the. nut from turning out of position engaging with the bars. In this manner the key base may be removed or. fastened in place without the necessity of having access to the underside of the shelf.

\Vhat is claimed is: 1. In combination; a key shelf; a key base; a pair of bars supported on "the key.

shelf; a bolt passing throu h the key base and between the bars, said olt being rotatable from the external side of the key base; and a nut for the bolt of a size to pass between the bars and shaped to' engage them automatically when the bolt is tightened.

aging and a non-engaging key base the key shelf, a bolt I eaaeoa 2.1n combination; a key shelf; a key base;'a pair of bars supported by the key shelf; a bolt passing throu h the key base and between the bars, said oltbeing rotatable fror'nthe external side of the key base; a nut for the bolt, said nut having an en- D osition with res ect to the bars and rotate leto such positions by the motion of the bolt; and means to limit automatically the rotation of the nut.

3. In combination; a key shelf; a key base; a air of bars supported by the key shelf; a It passing through; the key base and between the bars, said It being rotatable from the external side of said key base; a rectangular nut for the bolt, said nut being of a size to pass between the bars and shaped to engage them automatically when rotated by the bolt; and means to limit the rotation of the nut.

4. In combination; a key shelf; a key base; a pair of parallel bars supported by the key shelf; a bolt passing t rough the and between the bars, said bolt being rotatable from the external side of the key base; a rectangular nut forthe bolt having an engaging and a non-engaging position with respect to the bars and rotatable to such positions by the motion of the bolt: and means for automatically preventing the rotation of the nut beyond such positions.

5. In combination, a key shelf, a key base, a pair of parallel bars supported by assing through the key base and between t e bars, nut for the bolt having an engaging and a non-engaging position with respect to the bars and rotatable to such positions by the a rectangular motion of the bolt, and means integral with the nut to prevent rotationof the nut be- 'continuously adjustable longitudina ly of the key shelf, a (pair of bars sup iorted by the key shelf, an means control le solely from the top of the key shelf for securing said key base to said bars.

8. In combination; a key shelf; a key base; a air of spaced bars supported on the key she f: a bolt passing through the key base and between the bars, said bolt being rotatable from the externalside of said key base; a nut for. the bolt, said nut having a lateral dimension less than the distance between the bars and a lateral dimension greater than the distance between the bars, whereby the nut has an engaging and a nonengaging position with respect to the bars; and a boss on said nut for engagin one of said bars to arrest the rotation 0 said nut in the engaging position and for engaging the other of said bars to arrest the rotation of said nut in the non-engaging posi-- tion.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 20th day of April,

HAROLD T. MARTIN. 

